Since forming in 1972, the band's members have changed; however, core members include saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist Danny Federici, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, pianist Roy Bittan and, of course, guitarist/singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Guitarist Steven Van Zandt joined the band while recording Born to Run and made this record at least possible. He became one of the most honored and most influential members.
Other musicians important to the band include guitarist Nils Lofgren (who stepped in after Van Zandt quit); guitarist/singer Patti Scialfa (who is also Springsten's wife); and pianist David Sancious and drummers "Mad Dog" Vini Lopez and Ernest "Boom" Carter, who all had left the band prior to Born to Run. Also, The Rising tour saw the official addition of violinist Soozie Tyrell.
In 1989 the band split up, after the massive success of the Born in the USA tour and the quieter Tunnel of Love tour. However, in 1999, the band reunited and embarked on a rather successful 18-month reunion tour - the "E-United Tour" - and now were powered by three guitars (Springsteen, Van Zandt and Lofgren, with Scialfa usually playing a fourth, acoustic guitar).
Following the events of September 11, 2001, Springsteen and the Band embarked on their first studio recordings (excepting a short recording session for Springsteen's 1995 Greatest Hits album) since 1984's Born in the U.S.A. The band recorded The Rising in 2002, and then hit the road for another marathon, two-year tour.
After The Rising, Springsteen recorded two more albums without the E Streeters followed by "Magic", released in October 2007 and featuring the hit single "Radio Nowhere". Magic was followed up by a traditionally strong tour throughout 2008, during which original band-member and friend Danny Federici passed away. Federici had already been temporarily replaced by Charlie Giordano, with whom Springsteen played the year before during the Seeger Sessions. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rounded the 100-show tour at Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration.
On January 27, 2009 Springsteen's twenty-fourth album "Working on a Dream" will be released. According to the official press release, Working on a Dream was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the album. A new tour for 2009 is expected to be announced soon. Springsteen and the E Street Band will play The Super Bowl halftime show on February 1, 2009.
Saturday 27th July 2009 saw Bruce and the E-Streeters played The Glastonbury Festival, England. This was the band's first-ever UK festival performance, a total of 135,000 people watched an epic, two-and-a-half hour headlining set.
Current members
* Bruce Springsteen - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
* Garry Tallent - bass guitar, tuba
* Max Weinberg - drums, percussion (joined September 1974)
* Roy Bittan - piano, synthesizer (joined September 1974)
* Steven Van Zandt - lead guitar, mandolin, backing vocals (officially joined July 1975 after playing in previous bands; left in 1984 to go solo; rejoined in early 1995) Steven Van Zandt
* Nils Lofgren - guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals (replaced Steven Van Zandt in June 1984; remained in group after Van Zandt returned)
* Patti Scialfa - backing and duet vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion (joined June 1984; became Springsteen's wife in 1991; they have a daughter and two sons)
* Soozie Tyrell - violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals (joined 2002, occasional appearances before that)
Former members
* Vinnie 'Mad Dog' Lopez - drums (inception through February 1974, when asked to resign)
* David Sancious - keyboards (June 1973 to August 1974)
* Ernest 'Boom' Carter - drums (February to August 1974)
* Suki Lahav - violin, backing vocals (September 1974 to March 1975)
* Danny Federici - organ, electronic glockenspiel, accordion, other keyboards (on medical leave of absence from late November 2007, temporarily replaced by Charles Giordano) (Danny passed away on April 17, 2008 after a battle with cancer.)
* Clarence Clemons - saxophone, percussion, backing vocals, larger-than-life persona and Springsteen foil (died 2011)
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But that blood it never burned in her veins
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview
And a style she's trying to maintain
Well if she wants to see me
You can tell her that I'm easily found
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abraham's bridge, and tell her
There's a darkness on the edge of town
Well everybody's got a secret, son
Something that they just can't face
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take
'Til some day they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
Where no one asks any questions
Or looks too long in your face
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
You know some folks are born into a good life
And other folks get it anyway, anyhow
Well now I lost my money and I lost my wife
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I got
With our lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band is a song full of longing, disillusionment and a yearning to escape. The song touches on characters living on the fringes of society, damaged by life experiences and carrying secrets. The opening lines, “they’re still racing out at the trestles,” set the scene for a society riven by conflict, racing towards an unknown future. The character being referred to is someone who has made a better life for themselves living in a house in Fairview, but at the same time, trying to distance themselves from their past.
The song also touches on the idea that everyone has their secret, something that they carry with them every step that they take. The phrase "Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down" suggests that holding onto that secret can be a burden that will eventually overwhelm an individual. This idea is contrasted with the image of the darkness on the edge of town, a place where people can escape from judgment and find acceptance, even in their darkest moments.
The final verse speaks to the desperation of the characters, their need to fulfill their dreams and desires no matter the cost. The line "with our lives on the line where dreams are found and lost" perfectly captures the sense of urgency and the high stakes of those living in the darkness on the edge of town. The song ultimately portrays a society that is complex, gritty and full of contradictions, where darkness and light coexist in equal measure.
Line by Line Meaning
Well they're still racing out at the trestles
People are still taking risks at the railroad bridges
But that blood it never burned in her veins
She never had the drive to take risks
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview
I've heard she's settled down and found a stable home
And a style she's trying to maintain
She's trying to present a certain image to the world
Well if she wants to see me
If she wants to reconnect with me
You can tell her that I'm easily found
She'll be able to locate me without difficulty
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abraham's bridge, and tell her
Let her know where we can meet
There's a darkness on the edge of town
There's a sense of despair and hopelessness lurking just outside of the town
Well everybody's got a secret, son
Everyone has something they keep hidden
Something that they just can't face
Something they're unable or unwilling to confront
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it
Some people try to keep their secrets buried for their entire lives
They carry it with them every step that they take
Their secrets weigh them down no matter where they go
'Til some day they just cut it loose
Until one day they can't keep the secret any longer
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
They have to either reveal their secret or continue to be weighed down by it
Where no one asks any questions
A place where people don't pry or judge
Or looks too long in your face
Where people don't stare too hard at you
In the darkness on the edge of town
This is a place where these people can let go of their secrets and find some peace, even if it's a dark and desperate kind of peace
You know some folks are born into a good life
Some people are just lucky and have an easy life handed to them
And other folks get it anyway, anyhow
Others have to work harder and fight for every scrap of good fortune they get
Well now I lost my money and I lost my wife
The artist has experienced loss and hardship
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now
Those things aren't as important to the artist anymore
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
The artist is driven to keep going, to keep striving
I'll be on that hill with everything I got
The singer will bring all their effort and strength to the task at hand
With our lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
This is a high-stakes situation where everything is on the line
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
The singer is committed to showing up and putting in the work, no matter the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
This is all in pursuit of something deeper and more meaningful
In the darkness on the edge of town
The singer is drawn to that place where people can confront their secrets and find some form of redemption
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andreatel90
Well they're still racing out at the trestles
But that blood it never burned in her veins
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview
And a style she's trying to maintain
Well if she wants to see me
You can tell her that I'm easily found
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abraham's bridge, tell her
There's a darkness on the edge of town
There's a darkness on the edge of town
Well everybody's got a secret, son
Something that they just can't face
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take
'Til some day they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
Where no one asks any questions
Or looks too long in your face
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
Some folks are born into a good life
And other folks get it anyway anyhow
Yeah and I lost my money and I lost my wife
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I got
With our lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
@joycebunn6045
Wow I got no words Lordy be I’m speechless What a singer. What a man. What a band ❤❤❤❤❤❤
@robertrosen3969
...the album is his masterpiece and the song is devastating in its visceral impact - performed as if his life depended upon it - along with Born to Run and Racing in the Streets, his very best...BRAVO!
@randallreid424
That and this audience is just as amazing as anything he and the band are doing on stage this is one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen by them and I’ve seen them near 20 times woulda been 20 if I wasn’t priced out of this tour I wish I had been at this show live it’s just an incredible environment
@meone5112
...and still it was in the beginning !
@kenmckenzo9465
There was 25 years between this version (2003) and the initial recording of this song (1978). Somehow, the urgency of it not lessened one bit, in fact it probably was only DEEPENED.
A true testament to the strength of this song and this performance.
@CronoXpono
It's insane, isn't it? Like...the thought of "dying for this piece of time I'd spend forever" sounds cute at 26...and goddamn INCREDIBLY important when you're not 20 years down the line...
Time is crazy man.
@firesermon22
Hail to the Rock’n’roll Saviour!
@jonathanryberg6554
"Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop,
I'll be on that hill with everything I got.
With lives on the line where dreams are found and lost,
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost,
for wanting things that can only be found,
in the darkness on the edge of town"
Best Boss lyric ever?
@whiteman2371
One of my favourite verses. Ever.
@andreaalbano6334
I think The Rising's lyric is the best